


(The) Batman Never Admits To Pain

by TottPaula



Series: The Adventures of the Young Crusaders [4]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Beware the Batman (Cartoon), Detective Comics (Comics), The Batman (Cartoon)
Genre: Adorable, Embarassment, Emotions, Fluff and Angst, Foreshadowing, Gen, Growing Up, Minor Injuries, Secret Crush, That Kiss On The Cheek, The Young Crusaders, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-06 00:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17929376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TottPaula/pseuds/TottPaula
Summary: Batman tries to keep a brave front after he's been badly injured but he soon staggers and passes out.It's up to his two young partners, Robin and Batgirl, to safely bring him to the Batcave to get his injury looked after.Someone has a new teenage crush, and it's adorable, emotional, and a little bit embarrassing.





	1. What Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Batman is hit hard and eventually collapses, it's up to Batgirl and Robin to get him back safely.

 

  **On the roof of the Acme Chemical Plant, near the waterfront**

Batman has just rejoined Robin and Batgirl after a difficult fight, and he was weaving quite unsteadily on his feet.

There are unconscious gangsters littering the floor, this fight didn't go down as easily as they had originally predicted. 

Batman had been struck from behind with a plank of wood as he was battling next to the last crook in Two Face's gang.

 

 _"I'm fine ... Robin ... I'm not ... too badly hurt ... I'm perfectly ...fine... just fine... I'm ...really ... I'm fine."_   Batman's voice sounded rather weak as he was gasping for breath, and very unsteady on his feet.

 

Robin didn't trust his mentor's judgment from the sound of his voice, he appeared on the verge of collapse and was wildly staggering, but he insisted on putting up a brave front rather than asking for any assistance.

 

"Are you sure, you don't sound all right, you seem to be repeating yourself," Robin asked, concerned.

 

 _"I'm uh... fine... really... I'm just a little ... dizzy ... I'm ... I'm ... fine I... uh... I... said."_  Batman was in denial of his injuries, trying hard to stay upright and conscious.

 

"Say, you don't look so good, B, and you're slurring your words," Batgirl countered, her brow wrinkled.

 

He looked rather pale, and he was more wobbly and hunched over, he looked to be in a great deal of pain.

 

 _"I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm... ugh, alright, perhaps ...not so fine, and I might, uh, fall. I think you may have to help me stay ... upright ...unngh."_    At that Batman actually toppled over like a puppet and lost consciousness.

 

"Oh, boy. **Oof!** " Batgirl complained, shouldering much of his weight before he hit the ground.

 

"You might want to consider a diet there, B, Between your body weight and armor, you must weigh... oh darn it! He's out cold Robin, give me a hand with him, _he's_ _really heavy!"_

 

"What the heck happened to him, Batgirl? "

 

"He fainted probably from an injury, Robin."

 

"Well, at least I get to drive the Batmobile back, huh?

Maybe?"

 

Robin tried to make a quip as he looked him over carefully. 

 

"Hmm, he's got a nasty bump on the head, I can feel it even under his cowl, but he's not bleeding, it seems like he's probably gotten a concussion."

Batman's sidekick said as he looked rather worried.

 

"Yeah, that was my guess. The last goon got a good hit on him from behind. Let me help you load him into the car, he weighs a freaking ton!"

 

"You'd better come along to the Batcave, Batgirl, I won't be able to manage to get him out of the car on my own."

 

"Of course, it just might take the both of us to move him.

 

They somehow got Batman safely into the back seat without damages to either. 

 

"Sure, all right, we managed to load him in, but do you actually think that you can drive the Batmobile, Robin?  What are you thinking? He'd kill you if you damaged it!

 _I'd_ better do the driving, that is unless this thing has some sort of remote control.

Boy Wonder, you're too much, besides, you're much too young to drive!"

 

Who did Robin think he was?

He's barely fourteen, he can't drive a car yet!

Does he even know how to drive?

 

"Well, it was worth a try, BG. Just be careful." Robin sighed, now resigned to being a passenger.

 

"You know, I think you hit on something, Alfred does have a remote program for this! Let me message him to use the remote automated protocol, that way neither one of us needs to drive this."

 

After that, they both buckled up for the long ride back to the Batcave.

 

The engine powered up, and Batgirl found herself just sitting back and enjoying the automated ride.

 

 

 

To be continued next chapter!


	2. Thanks, Alfred!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Batmobile is remotely piloted back to the Batcave, where Robin and Batgirl try to help their fallen mentor, assisted by Alfred, who has warm cookies ready to steady their spirits, of course.

 

 

Alfred was fully prepared for Batman and the youngsters to arrive.

He had set up a makeshift medical area to examine and treat the downed Caped Crusader.

The younger members were anxiously pacing after all three helped carry their fallen comrade to the examination table.

Batman was wavering in and out of consciousness, mumbling nonsensically to himself.

Perhaps he was reliving the mission in his subconscious.

Alfred checked Bruce's vitals and applied an ice pack over the lump on his head, tying it in place with a length of cotton gauze fabric.

Batgirl got the smelling salts and Alfred waved it beneath Bruce's nose.

Bruce momentarily startled and was soon groggy but awake.

"Did you get the license number of the truck that hit me?" he was able to joke, "Man, that hurts!"

"I believe that Master Bruce will pull through, though I'm assured that he will have quite a considerable headache for the next day or so.

You both did very well getting him home again intact. I don't suppose either one of you has an appetite for warm cookies?"

Dick and Barbara looked at each other and grinned.

"I'll race you!" Dick teased.

"Not if I get there first, Pixie Boots!" Babs teased right back.

Alfred had brought a large tray of his legendary chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven with several large glasses of milk.

After all, saving Gotham deserved an occasional reward.

They tasted as good as they smelled, and were still warm and melty.

"B, are you up to a cookie, or would you rather have some aspirin?" Barbara asked, concerned.

"I believe I'll pass on the cookies for now and opt for pain relief, thank you."

Barbara brought the bottle of aspirin and a glass of cold water.

"I'm just glad it wasn't too serious, Bruce. You really scared me, I never saw you pass out before!"

"This wasn't the first time I've been K.O.'d, just the first time you've seen it happen.

Thanks to both of you I should be fine in a day or two."

Barbara blushed for a moment.

Of course, he must have been knocked unconscious before, but that didn't make it any less frightening.

She felt rather flustered and gave Bruce a quick peck on the cheek.

"I'm just glad it wasn't worse," she commented.  She jogged quickly back to the cookies, still flushed with anxiety and worry.

She wasn't sure why she kissed his cheek at all.

It was awkward, but she somehow couldn't help herself from doing it, maybe she just got caught up in the strange emotions of the day.

Robin just looked at her quizzically, girls were so weird, and he didn't think he'd ever figure them out.

Bruce's mouth turned up just a bit at the corner, he believed that Barbara had a bit of a teenage crush on him.

He wouldn't dare embarrass her by talking about it, though.

It was rather sweet, actually.


	3. Why did I do that?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Babs Gordon is second guessing what she did.

 

Barbara wanted to slap herself, why in the world did she kiss Bruce earlier?

Why was the impulse to do it so overwhelming?

_'Maybe I do have a little crush on him, but hell, half of Gotham's females probably do too.'_

First, Dick had a crush on her, and she wasn't at all interested in The Pixie Booted Wonder; then she gets a crush on Bruce.

And he just quirks his mouth at her maddeningly, like she's a child who did something cute and adorable.

At least that's how _she_ interpreted it.

_'Well, I'm not a child any longer, and hell, I do have at least a shade of a crush on him._

_He's gorgeous, dark, mysterious, and built like a bodybuilder, all muscles, sigh!_

_Well, I admit I'm still only a teenager and he's got to be almost twice my age, and he's best friends with my father, too.'_

_'I should ignore this, all of these strange feelings,_ _it was probably just extra emotional distress left over from the adrenaline rush from the mission, wasn't it?_

_'How do other heroes keep their emotions checked anyway?_

_'Do they go and hook up with someone in secret?_

_'Do they hook up with the bad girls or bad guys just to get it out of their systems and get it over with?_

_'Do they go home and fantasize about lewd and smutty notions?'_

Was there a subtle meaning when Bruce had half-smiled at her?

Did he actually enjoy the attention, or was that just his own dismissiveness or his not being amused?

He's always so hard for her to read!

'Well, to be honest, it gave me a tingle in my fingers and toes. 

'If only he ...

I'm not sure how I wanted him to react. If he ever kissed me on the lips I'd  _faint!_

'Robin would go into shock, probably.'

'My dad would send me off to a convent until I turned thirty.'

_'Aaugh! I can't stand it._

_Why can't we just ignore our emotions?_

**_'Why can't I just ignore them?_ **

_'Is this another stupid teenage hormonal thing?_

_'Why must it all feel so weird!'_

_'Auugh!'_


	4. So Embarrassed!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barb is embarrassed having suddenly kissed Bruce on the cheek. She's not sure what it means to herself and has no idea what, if anything, it meant to Bruce.  
> Though he did give her one of those interesting quirky smiles, and that made her light up like a roman rocket.  
> Then she got flustered and ran back to the cookies and milk.  
> Ugh! Is it just a girlhood crush, or is there much more there if she looks a little deeper?

Bruce was wondering if Babs running away after the innocent-seeming kiss on the cheek meant more than he'd surmised.

She wasn't still a child at her age, he just preferred thinking of her and Dick as still being children, though in his heart he knew better.

Biologically she was near adulthood, and in some other societies, she could possibly have a husband and a few children.

He began wondering if she was socially active with friends her own age. Did she date at all?

Had she, in fact, ever been kissed before romantically?

Without her uniform's tunic, which covered almost all of her figure from sight, she had the figure of a grown woman, not that of a child.

Did he need to give her some version of " _the talk"?_

Should her father give her " _the talk"?_

If he asked her father that would mean explaining a lot, so that was no good. Not appropriate for too many reasons.

Now that he thought of it, she probably knew everything already, thanks to school.

Dick had already gone through his own class on sex education, Bruce had to sign the permission slip.

Bruce would, of course, answer any questions that came up, but he was glad not to have to initiate that precise conversation. It could become embarrassing.

Barbara had blushed so sweetly as she ran away to the safety of the cookies with Dick.

Was Dick fully over his little crush on her?

He was completely baffled by her.

She was attractive, of that he had no doubt. 

But did he himself find her so? 

He had to admit to a few fantasies he'd had.

In his dreams, she was always at least 18 or 20, just to be safe. Her new adult uniform in the future would be form-fitting as was his own, and Robin's.

Her new uniform would not simply hint at her figure but put it all on full display for Gotham, (and for him as well!)

And in his fantasy, her shape appeared perfectly displayed and enhanced as well.

Her hips were wider, her waist was narrow, her curves were more curvaceous.

Thrilling him.

Teasing crooks.

Titillating him, oh god, did she ever excite him.

When did he start fantasizing about her?

She was just a kid, for chrissakes!

He needed a cold shower, now!

A long cold shower!

 


	5. Damned Hormones!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara did something completely embarrassing, she kissed Bruce's cheek, and she's not sure why.  
> She realizes that she has at least a crush on the Caped Crusader, but now she wishes now that she could just disappear.  
> He must think that she's some silly love-struck girl...  
> Doesn't he?

 Why did she do that?

Well, at least the cookies and milk were comforting in their own innocent way.

She should just enjoy them and ignore her strange emotions, shouldn't she?

Maybe it was better to simply forget the way she felt.

After all, Bruce had a bump on the head, he might not even remember what happened by tomorrow, right?

Dick noticed her blush, her face was so pink!

"You all right Barbara? He's gonna be okay, it's not the first time he's been knocked out."

"I guess you're right, I'm worried about practically nothing. I do that to my dad all the time, that's probably why he never wants to tell me the really gruesome stuff that always happens."

She was secretly glad that Dick misunderstood why she was so embarrassed.

"That's just who you are, Babs, you care a lot about everyone."

"Do you think that I sometimes care too much, Dick?"

"Nah, you're fine. Besides, who would take care of your dad if you didn't do it? He would starve himself to death, or else he'd get really fat on french fries and pastrami sandwiches."

That made her laugh, she could easily picture that being the case.

"Yeah, I guess I'm overthinking again." She gave him a grin.

Alfred had given Bruce an ice pack for his head to keep down the swelling, and Bruce finally stood up and stretched.

"Master Bruce, do you require my assistance to move upstairs to your room?" Alfred asked, ready to grab him if he wavered.

"No, I'm feeling much better, thanks. I'm going to go upstairs, shower and then get some rest.

He did exactly that, took a brisk shower, toweled himself off, and went to bed to rest.

His mind was spinning with confusing thoughts before sleep overtook him.

He tried to convince himself that Batgirl's harmless kiss on the cheek was just that, he had to stop reading any more into it.

She was likely just anxious and worried about him. After all, he passed out on her and must have almost flattened her to the ground, he imagined.

The last thing he remembered was the world spinning and he began feeling dizzy and weak.

He tried reassuring his partners, (and much more likely, himself) that he was completely fine, but that was a fabrication.

He awoke in the Batcave with Alfred hovering above him.

It was only a tiny little peck on the cheek.

By Batgirl.

He flushed thinking about it. 

Now he couldn't help thinking about it, but it was so wrong. 

She was only a teenager, wasn't she? A sweet innocent and very shapely teenager.

And he was much too old to consider, well, _anything at all_ along those lines.

He was soon asleep and if you looked closely, very closely, he had a shade of a smile on his lips.

 

 


End file.
